Our deepest condolences…

We just received word that one of our dear colleagues, Laurie Martinez, passed away today. Laurie has worked for many years at the Dodgers’ academy in the Dominican Republic, Campo Las Palmas and she was a wonderful woman.

She has always been so helpful for those of us in the States with whatever we needed in the DR and earlier this year, she continued to help in amazing ways when we visited the Dominican.

She will be missed by everyone who knew her and our thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Making Monday even sadder for the Dodger family was the loss of Matt McHale, the former Dodger beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News. He was a regular at Dodger Stadium for many years and he was one of the nicest people you could ever ask to meet. Steve Dilbeck, one of his colleagues at the Daily News, weighed in with a touching piece and it goes without saying that Matt will be deeply missed.

CP – I didn’t realize it was a four game series, ethier (either), but we are going Friday thru Sunday. We are in section 121 Row E, which I have been on the loge deck and I really enjoyed it there too. I really don’t think there’s a bad seat in the whole stadium. I just like the different perspective. I have always been close to left or right field so I have only really gotten to see Andre’s defensive side close up, but it was great to see all the expressions and attitude from him and the others. I really got some good pictures of Matthew looking totally discusted at a call. The classic “you’ve got to be kidding me” look. LOL!! Anyhow, the gentleman I talked to at the game got us the same seats for all three days. I am also trying to get tickets to the 80’s luncheon. My mom will enjoy it as she loved some of the players from that time. I guess Mike Scoscia will be busy so my chances of meeting him probably won’t happen, but it will be fun if it works out. LOL!!

jhall – I just looked at my fantasy week. I thought I had done bad because I have Braves pitching. Well, Peralta gave me 40 points all by himself. He went 10 for 25 with 4 2B, 3HR and 10 RBIs to start. Andre had 23 points and Matt had 33 points – not bad for a couple of outfielders. Those were my 1,2 and 3 guys for points this week. On the other hand, this is how bad the dbacks are hitting. I also have Justin Upton and he only had 2 points for the entire week. Andruw had more points than he did with 9. Needless to say I won my week because of those top three, two being Dodgers, and James had 16 points for me too. Any chance of the Dodgers getting Peralta (jk)? I better be careful of what I say, my goodness one post and everybody thinks I am a Bonds fan – ick!!! :)

I know that for next year. I was trying to stay with a purely Dodger outfield by we all know how that turned out with Andruw, so that’s why I went with Justin. Grady had already been swiped up.
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And yes, enchanted – having “him” on our team is a very bad thing. LOL!!! I would become an Angel’s fan if that happened. LOL!!!

Allow me to interpret jhall for those that may need assistance. A (the expletive) in LM(expletive)O has been substituted for Ned (the Dodgers general manager) in an obvious attempt to equate the two in what is assumed to be a joking (eh) manner.

wow dnel, you have some great seats in the loge. As long as I’ve been coming to Dodger Stadium (some of you know how old I am but for those who don’t, I’m not going to say) we always sat in the reserved section. The loge was always too pricey for us and now that I’m a grown-up (ya think?) I still stick with the reserved section, right behind home plate (my mom has season seats on Aisle 1, row M). I can see the flight of the ball coming off the bat better. I can’t stand sitting on the field in LF or RF; you can’t see anything there. Those seats in the loge section (both sets; ours and my brother’s) were pretty good seats – with my brother’s way better!

dnel – you should have a great view from where you are going to be sitting!

Someone mentioned a trade for Jack Wilson yesterday on the blog as if it were almost a done deal. Has anyone heard anything about that or was it just more rumor? I hope they don’t do it. Bring up DeJesus and see what he can do if Nomore goes down. I am hoping Nomore can stay healthy and hold down the position for the rest of the year. He has done a credible job so far!!

Buckner was a very good player and hitter. He does not deserve the flak he gets for that error. The manager should be catching it for leaving a crippled player in the game in the late innings protecting a lead. I have felt that way from the time it happened.

Why not :) Still may end up here too!! Aw H E double hockey sticks. As Cleavon Little said in Blazing Saddles, “I’ve got to baby.”

To Johnny B. Goode:

Way down in old Las Cruces close to Paso, T
Out in the desert cholla and the willow tree
There stood a hacienda made of adobe brick
Where lived a bombastic boy who could pile it thick (not where you thought I was going with that one huh?)
Who never ever learned him to read or spell well though
But he could write him a post and tell them where to go
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Chorus:
Go, go, go bloggers go
go bloggers go go
go bloggers go go
go bloggers go go
Enchanted be bad
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He use to carry his computer in a gunny sack
And sit beneath the tree a-typin’ up his smack
Oh no he might be writin’ up somethin’ crude
Strummin’ on the keyboard ‘bouta what’s been spewed
People postin’ passively and takin’ shots
‘Bout a simple little expletive and a few whatnots
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Chorus
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Some people they have told him its to compensate
For his inability to articulate
People comin’ from many blogs around
To say a few words and try to put him down
Maybe someday he’s gonna see the light
But I doubt it’ll be tonight
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Chorus

Matt Kemp has taken a lot of criticism from Dodgers fans and local media members this season, who seemingly blame him for the Dodgers’ poor record despite the fact that he’s pretty low on any list of the team’s problems. Kemp went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, two runs, and two steals Sunday, giving him a .284/.337/.444 line with nine homers, 51 RBIs, 47 runs, and 22 steals in 89 first-half games. While certainly not spectacularly, that’s damn good from a 23-year-old.

Kemp is a career .300/.341/.473 hitter with 26 homers, 75 total extra-base hits, and 38 steals in 846 plate appearances, can capably play center field defensively, and doesn’t turn 24 years old until September, yet much of the focus on his performance seems to revolve around mediocre plate discipline and a high strikeout rate. While valid concerns, those flaws haven’t kept Kemp from being an outstanding player so far and may make him undervalued depending on the owner.

Kemp is going to be an All-Star. It is no coincidence that every team wants him first in a trade with us.
Of course his production doesn’t count as his approach is not quite right like Kant, Nomore, Phew, and the Cow.

jhall – I still think the Wilson trade is still a rumor, but I don’t know…

eric – I like Franky. I do watch him when I have nothing else to do and my husband is watching the Angels. I still think he has a very unorthodox delivery and I still don’t know how most of his pitches are strikes, but whatever works for him, works for him. He’s having a lights out year this year (ya think? He’s going to test the FA waters at the end of the year.) But we’ve been grooming Broxton to be the closer of the future; it just happens to be that the future is now since Sammy is hurt. Franky is a very good closer, but I’d like to reserve judgment until I see how many saves Broxton gets in the 2nd half of the year.

Allow me to explain. Sweeney Todd is a story of an English barber who murders his customers (of which I have substituted “at bats” for “customers”) and turns them into meat pies (where I have substituted “cow” for “meat”, though I suppose in the generic sense, cow and meat could be seen as equivalents, but I digress.) I’ll explain a cow pies later.

Well, beat a dead horse and bench the cow,
Andre will play today.
ITD chicks swoon, there’s Andre on the field.
A roundin’ third and headed for home,
It’s a brown eyed handsome man.
Anyone can understand the way our Nelly feels.

Oh, play Andre Joe, He’s ready to play, everyday.
Put Andre in Joe, He’s ready to play, everyday.
Look at Dre’, He can be left field.

Well, he spent his time, in the Phew line.
Watchin’ it from the bench.
You know he should have played as he watched the Cow strike out.
So play Dre’ Torre, sit Andruw Jones and Slappy Juan Phewerre.
Don’t say he don’t hit lefties, you know it just ain’t true.

Oh, play Andre Joe, He’s ready to play, everyday.
Put Andre in Joe, He’s ready to play, everyday.
Look at Dre’, He can be left field.

Yeah, Dre’s got it, he’s got it!!

Got some beat up vets, a strike out Cow, and a weak armed Slappy Phew.
You know I think its time to give the kids a try.
Dre hits the ball and touches’em all,
Then JoJo sits his buns.
(Pop) It’s gone and you should kiss Cow’an Phew goodbye.

Oh, play Andre Joe, He’s ready to play, everyday.
Put Andre in Joe, He’s ready to play, everyday.
Look at Dre’, He can be left field.

I’ve been good. So crazy that I went to all 3 losing games in a row and the only one I didn’t go to they won by a lot. I thought for sure my Kuroda was gonna pull through for me :(
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Thanks for working on a Matt song for me, I’ll treasure it! Just don’t be too mean or offend Josh!
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I was 15 feet away from Matt on Saturday nite and I wanted to yell to him ” Matt, I’m right here!!!”
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One day…..

See they still don’t know about Sammy’s elbow. I for one am greatly anticipating Brox in the closer’s role. Might as well see if he can handle it this second half before we have to go after a closer for next season.

The funny thing, jhall, since JP went on the DL, every time Ethier is mentioned in an article, it’s about how well he has adjusted to Torre’s plan and how he is one of the players that “gets it,” and yet, he and Matt are going to get screwed the worst when JP comes back just based on nothing other than Pierre’s a lead off man and Andruw is still working out the kinks. A broken record, I know, but this is the future if something doesn’t put JP or Andruw back on the DL.

He has been pitching very well. They had their last tourney this past weekend, and he pitched three shut out innings with the varsity team in one game and then got pulled in another game – couldn’t find the strike zone. It’s the first time he has struggled with this team so it was a good learning experience for him to understand they all have their bad days. As a team, they aren’t that good (can’t hold a lead and way too many errors), but they have a new coach who takes no crap (oops), and it will be a much different system now. Michael just needs to keep from getting frustrated and he will go far. He is already capable of throwing 4 different pitches, but he is only allowed to use three because of his age. His next step is to work on velocity training to get his fast ball into the high 80’s/90’s. My husband is bringing him to a prospect camp at USC in mid-August so I am sure he will learn more about what he needs to do to get to that level. Thanks for asking :)

jhall – the pitches he can throw: 4 and 2 seam fastballs (lefty thing I’ve been told), curve ball, circle change up, and he is working on a cutter and a split finger, which his coach cautiously uses because of his age. The only thing lacking is velocity, but it will come – he’s only 14 and throws upper 70’s/low 80’s now.

enchanted -it’s funny you say that – I am almost done with my song, and it’s about Ned. Hey, I am proud of myself, this song has nothing to do with Pierre.LOL!! I think with the trade deadline approaching, he is the scariest right now. JP’s lurking, but he is still out of the picture. I hope you are right. This obstacle might steer him clear of other things.

Not that I’m insinuating that Ned has less than the skillset required to be a GM, and not that I’m insinuating that the deals he’s made in the past are less than adequate, and not than I’m insinuating that hs’s cerebrally challenged, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I started this song before leaving on my trip to so-cal. We had a discussion about a foundation for people such as Ned and Joe. We called it CAI (Cranial Anal Inversion). Well I added the word Foundation making it CAIF. I am sure the “you know whos” will have my *ss for the middle word, but nothing else fits -sorry :)
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song – CAIF
original song – YMCA
by The Village People
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Mr. Ned, there’s no need to feel down
We said, Mr.Ned, pick yourself off the ground
We said, Mr.Ned, cause you’re in a tough town
There’s is need to be unhappy.
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Mr. Ned, there’s a place you can go
We said, Mr. Ned, please don’t spend all your dough
You can say trade, but we’re sure you will find
We have a place to spend your time
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It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
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They have everything for Mr. Ned to enjoy
You can hang out with all the boys…
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It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
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You can get yourself fired, or you can have a good stay
You do whatever yo feel…
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Mr. Ned, are you listening to us?
We said, Mr. Ned, what do you want to be?
We said, Mr. Ned, you can make real our dreams
But you got to know this one thing!
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No man does trades all by himself
We said, Mr. Ned, put your thoughts on a shelf
And just go there, to the c-a-i-f
We’re sure they can help you today…
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It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
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They have everything for Mr. Ned to enjoy
You can hang out with all the boys…
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You can get yourself fired, or you can have a good stay
You do whatever yo feel…
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Mr. Ned, you were once in these shoes
We said, please don’t trade in our youth
We feel no one cares to see them thrive
We feel their future is so bright….
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That’s why these songs came to be
We said, Mr. Ned, take a walk up the street
There’s a place there called the c-a-i-f
They can start you back on your way.
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It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
It’s fun to stay at the c-a-i-f
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They have everything for Mr. Ned to enjoy
You can hang out with all the boys…
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c-a-i-f … you’ll find it at the c-a-i-f

jhall/enchanted – I am so screwed – aren’t I? oh no!! It got stuck in my head and I couldn’t get the song out of my head the whole trip, and then to come home and read all this trade crap, I had to finish it.

thanks, enchanted :) I need to thank the master song writers for that one, and whoever came up with the acronym. That was definitely one of our more colorful days on this board. Somebody pictured it on an episode of ER and I think I mentioned CSI,and then I ran with it from there. There are days I wish we could lock them all up in a room until the trade deadline comes and goes. Open the door on August 1st and everything will be alright. :)

I was referring to me, but my mom loves the songs. LOL!!!
Out of my whole family, my daughter is the only one that doesn’t like all of them – remember, she likes Pierre. She doesn’t know who Ned is so these wouldn’t bother her, it’s just when I pick on Pierre.

Maybe this is good luck for Brox, but I just got my mail and I got Jonathon Broxton’s rookie card – boy, he’s only 24 – wow!!! He looks so young on his card, and it only has his weight at 240, I believe it’s 290 now. I also got James Loney’s too.

LMAO!!!
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about the cards – we always talk about them maturing into great ball players with experience, but even their physical maturity is noticeable from card to card over the last three years. It’s amazing how they even have grown up in the way they look too. No baby faces anymore. I really hope Ned/Joe/Frank let this team grow together – it would be so awesome!!!

CP for a while, too, but it’s mostly been the three of us. However, I have been very productive today. A lot of in and out things, and it is miserably hot here so it’s never a good idea to be out an about on days like this for any length of time, especially with the air quality being so bad. I am sure you all are dealing with your own weather issues. enchanted – not near us, but there was a flash flood warning in Hanford today. I guess they had a severe thunderstorm. I haven’t heard that emergency broadcast before.

I don’t think there’s too many little towns from Stockton to Bakersfield I haven’t been in at one time or another nells. Don’t think I ever made it to Firebaugh or Ivanhoe, but Orosi, Taft, Kerman, Exeter, LaGrande, Coalinga…

We actually hear EBs more often now because of Amber Alerts, but a flash flood – that was a new one. We used to have warnings in Las Vegas, but that was a given for I where we lived. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever been to Firebaugh ethier (either). I guess it’s because we’ve never had to drive from Los Banos to Madera/Fresno – always took 59 back to Merced – hmmm! That’s a lot of little towns, enchanted. I don’t even think I’ve heard of Orosi – all the others yes, and have been to many, but I don’t think I’ve been to Orosi to my knowledge.

Quite a few little towns east of Visalia – Exeter, Cutler/Orosi, Lemon Cove, Ivanhoe and Woodlake I think are out that way, Lindsay, Reedley, Parlier, Sanger, Dinuba, Strathmore, Farmersville… places you didn’t even know existed all out in farm country. Not saying you’re missing too much by never having been through most of them though. Used to be quite a few antique stores in Exeter – cute little town. Kinda neat though to see all the old orange and vegetable crate labels having these little places mentioned on the label.

enchanted – okay -I’ve been to Woodlake – out in the middle of nowhere, outside of Visalia. My daughter had a volleyball tournament there. I have heard of all the others, but other than driving through them, I don’t think I’ve actually stopped there. I have just recently gotten into antiquing, but it’s still really, really new to me (mostly kitchenware items and paperweights). My mother-in-law’s mom had a very nice collection of paperweights that I kind of inherited, and my mother-in-law collected teapots and green handled cooking utensils. Plus I collect carousel horses, but not to many antique ones yet. There are a few teachers who are obsessed antique shoppers, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet. I am probably more passionate about the baseball cards, which are antiques to a point too.

Antiquing isn’t what it used to be since eBay came along. Still fun to go look, but generally you can find things you really want that are better and cheaper online. A lot of the shops can’t survive anymore because of eBay as well. Just too much money tied up in inventory and not enough turnover because of prices being too high and not enough foot traffic going through the store. And rather than lower prices, most of the oldtimers stick to what the Schroeder’s catalog says an items retail worth is, which is usually unrealistic. Thought at one time I’d like to open an antique store to putter around in in my old age, but I think now I’d rather go fishin.

I just wanted to comment on the line-up idea that DNelly posted (not hers, I know, some other fan), that included trading Loney for Texiera (again with this?), signing Barry Bonds, acquiring Edgar Renteria, trading Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile for Sheffield, Bonilla, Johnson, and Eisenreich, and selling Babe Ruth for $125,00 cash to finance the Broadway Production of “No, No, Nannette.”
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It’s obviously crazy. For starters, it just leaves us more holes than we began with, and signing Bonds is an idea–well, it’s beyond explanation.
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But it’s what I call a Fantasy Baseball Trade. A lot of you do Fantasy Baseball, as do I. And you see a guy you want, and offer someone else, and the other owner decides to offer a trade with 3 players, and then you say that would only work if it was a three-way deal, etc., etc., until you pull off some crazy three-way trade that includes seven players who started in the All-Star game. And everyone in the league is stunned. But, in the end, the changes are minimal, because in a 10-person league with NL and AL Players, and a simple draft and no free agent costs or salary caps, etc. (a basic league, like I do, though we tried an auction this year–good times), everyone has superstars, and it’s all about who identified the underrated talent in Spring.
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But none of it is the kind of deal you make in real life, because teams don’t regularly trade superstars for superstars. There are salary concerns, marketing, relationships, etc., and, fundamentally, a team who can have most of its players intact from the time it breaks camp in the spring to the playoffs is going to be better.
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But moreover, that’s the whole point of Fantasy Baseball–to make deals–otherwise you’re just hoping that your players do well.
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That’s not real baseball, of course. Real human things, like relationships, ans salaries, etc., all matter. But real baseball is about taking guys and melding them as a team–getting young guys to learn and improve, getting old guys to compensate for age with guile.
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These Fantasy trades never work. The Piazza deal was a classic fantasy trade–two superstars, one near Superstar, and 2 sinificant stars all in the deal. But what’s the point?
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Trades happen–but Fantasy trades rarely happen and they rarely do any good.
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But too many people talk about Fantasy Trades in real baseball–fans like this, and so-called journalists who never bother to pay attention to the game, but love speculation about what trade might happen.
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Someone mentioned the Dodger broadcast team a while back, and mentioned that Jerry Reuss could put you to sleep. Well, the Big Bird is not exactly exciting, but I wish more baseball reporters were like him. Steve Lyons may be funny, but he’ll recount all 19 MLB home runs he hit, or call The Bison a “tinkle guy.” But the Big Bird explains what’s going on on the field–when a pitching coach comes out to talk, he’ll tell you what he’s probably saying, and whether it’s real or just buying time for the bullpen to get ready. He’ll explain why you want to bunt to the third baseman with a man on second, or why a base-running situation makes sense or does not.
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Anyway, it would be nice to see more of that, rather than schmucks who are paid to gin up speculation about deals that would (or should) only be made in a Fantasy League. And I wish more fans did this, rather than speculate like the one Dnelly wrote about.
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And what’s really impressive about the posters on this Board is how much they really do that. Aside from the song parodies that lighten the day, it’s so much about what’s on the field, and not crazy Fantasy Trades. Sure, there are calls to DFA players or send guys to the minors that are sometimes unrealistic (not always–we DFA’d Loazia, the Mariners DFA’d Richie Sexson, etc.), but it’s based on frustration with what we see on the field. And I think that’s why posters here tend to be so critical–because it’s easy to just think, well, we have a hard time scoring runs, so we’ll trade James Loney and Andre Ethier–a couple of young guys who, because they are young, must not matter–and we’ll score more runs. But it takes a critical eye to see that maybe taking away the guy second on the team in RBI and the guy first on the team in home runs might not score us more runs, but perhaps moving the RBI guy up in the order or making sure to play the HR guy every day.
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So, I guess my point is that as we do the mid-season evaluations of everything baseball at the All-Star break, the posters here all get high marks for the first half, and are expected to have an even stronger second half.

I was just re-reading my post, and wanted to make one thing clear–I love the song parodies, too. And I was going to say that my point is that they are different in that they are not about what is on the field vs. Fantasy Trades, but they are actually based a lot on what’s going on. My point is only that they are a completely different thing from anything else you see in baseball writing–obviously.
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Of course, the song parodies are worthy of their own All-Star praise too.

You walk into the box
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody throw offspeed
And you say, “Who is that man?”
You try so hard
But you don’t understand
Just how you will hit the ball
When you’re up there at home

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You raise up your head
And you ask the ump, “Was this where it is?”
And somebody points to you and says
“you can’t hit”
And you say, “No ****?”
And somebody else says, “Why can’t you hit?”
And you say, “Oh my God
Am I here all alone?”

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You hand in your bat
And you go watch the film with Mattingly
Who immediately walks up to you
When he watches you reach
And says, “How does it feel
To be such a freak?”
And you say, “Impossible”
As he hands you a bone

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You have many strike outs
while looking like a lumberjack
To get you facts
When someone attacks your good hitting reputation
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To just give a called check swings
To 3rd strike sliders called by every other organization

You’ve been with the professors
And they’ve all liked how your defense looks
With great players you have
Discussed Mays and cDiMaggio
You’ve been through all of
Bobby Cox’s books
You’re not very well read
It’s well known

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, the called third strike caller, he comes up to you
And then he kneels
He extends his right arm away from himself
And then he clicks his black heels
And without further notice punches you out and
He asks you how it feels
And he says, “Here is your jock strap back
Thanks for the loan”

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Now you see like a one-eyed midget
Shouting the words “END THE SEASON NOW”
And you say, “I’m batting 5th for what reason?”
And Torre says, “You know How?”
And you say, “What does this mean?”
And he screams back, “You’re a big fat cow
Give me some milk you sad excuse for a hitter, start hitting Or else go home”

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, you walk into the club house room
Like a camel and then you frown
You put your eyes in your pocket
And your nose on the ground
There ought to be a law
Against you comin’ around
You should be made
To wear a girdle and high heels out on the road

Because something is happening here
But you don’t know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

jhall- Sizemore and Uggla started out pretty good, and then Hamilton came up and blew everybody away. They should have given him the title right then, but like you said, that first round probably tired him out. Eventhough Morneau won, Hamilton will be the story for this year.

Yeah, it started out kind of slow but Hamilton lit it up. Turned out to be pretty good. I wish he would have had enough left in the tank to win it, but you could tell he was out of gas at the end. I think his pitcher was also running on empty as well. He wasn’t getting the ball up in the zone in the last round like he did in the first round. But overall, it was entertaining. I hope the NL wins tonight. Looking forward to seeing Marty get in there.

Well, I heard Tommy on the radio this morning saying that Joe has done an “outstanding job” because he’s had to deal with all of his best players being hurt or something to that effect, listing Furcal, Pierre, Nomar, Jones, Penny & Kuroda as examples. I’ll give him Furcal and that’s it. Penny has pitched like garbage since the second half of last year and Kuroda missed, what, 1-2 starts? Big deal. he rest of those guys are replaceable of course.

Hoepefully, Tommy was just trying to be PC, since he doesn’t like to rip the Dodgers if at a ll possible.

every computer I blog from is a MAC..last night was that dang PC at my dad’s!!
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Dnelly- I wanted to tell you that my mom has been teaching kindergarten for many years now. This year they are having management issues and they gave her second grade. To make the most of it she is going to make her ‘back to school bulletin board’ a Dodger themed board. Then she will make the kids, MVP’s of the classroom. She bought a Dodger pennant last time we were at the stadium and she’s going to use the pictures we took on the field and place them all around the board.
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I though you’d appreciate that since you are our resident teacher!
you and my mom could be friends if you worked at the same school!
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Also- Hamilton did put on a show last night. Other than that the HR derby wasn’t too exciting. I wish we had a real power hitter (that people know about) that could’ve participated!!

amy – happens to all of us at one time or another – don’t worry about. I think all of us here know that a double, triple, and even quadruple post is usually due to computer or system issues. There have been a few who have purposely double posted, but they usually add the comment of why they are. :)
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jhall – can’t wait to see Russell tonight represent the Dodgers. The article on him gave appearance that he was lonely without all of his buddies. He’s got to be quite concerned about Sammy,too, I would imagine, as I am sure the whole team is.

Hey Amy. It happens. LOL!!
By the way, do you have any favorite songs or artists/groups. I am trying to find a good song to do a Kemp/Bison song on. Since he is your favorite it might be nice to do it with a song you are familiar with. I’m not sure you would recognize alot of the stuff that I listen to. Mostly 60’s-80’s Rock and Pop. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

haha Jhall- you are right. I sooo appreciate you writing a song for my Matthew! but ya, being one of the ‘younger’ ones, I’m not familiar with a lot of old music. I will start thinking hard about it!
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I do have a suggestion. Make a song about Andruw using Nsync’s “Bye Bye Bye” – so perfect!!!
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How about “The Bandit” ( from Smokey and the Bandit)? Instead of “They call him the Bandit”, it could be “They call him the Bison”. However, I’m sure Amy could come up with something more current. You would have to figure out how to get his real name (Matt, Matthew or Kemp) in there though.

LOL Amy. That song would be appropriate and fitting for Ned and Phew as well. Along with a few others on this team. I wish we could wave goodbye to Ned, Andruw, Phew, Sweeney, Proctor, and Bennett for starters. HaHa.
Post some song ideas and I’ll see what I can come up with.
Also, E and the other songsters may take a crack at it.
Prayers and condolences to the McHale family.

aww..look, I am contributing. Nice… :)
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Good Dnelly- i’m sure it would come out so nicely. I’m glad you know a little nsync! They were my favorites in those teenage years. I know, I know..haha.
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jhall. let me think of some current tracks for “MK”
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Hey there, good morning everyone… Nelly, how are you this morning? I’ve got a great article with a pic that will make you all cringe!!! Take a look at this!!

To this point, Major League Baseball has seen some nice stories. The rise of Tampa Bay (never mind the recent slump) comes first to mind. Josh Hamilton, sober with 95 RBI at the break, is an inspiration. What’s more, fans can take heart in the fact that his teammate and fellow All-Star, Milton Bradley, has limited himself to just a single anger management issue. There’s also, as my father the purist likes to point out, “the continued resurgence of the most beautiful play in the game — the triple.”

Exactly. The truth is, it’s been a little boring this summer. The season has been lacking in debate. And isn’t that the whole point with baseball, to give you and your friends and your father something to argue about?

So admit it. You miss him.

I’m talking about Barry Bonds, of course.

Not only is he the greatest hitter of his chemically-enhanced generation, he’s also the greatest heel. You can hate on him, as I have made it my practice to do. But you’d be wise to acknowledge that he’s also the guy you love to hate.

For whom else would you stop whatever you were doing to watch at the plate? Can you say that about any of those guys in last night’s Home Run Derby? Maybe one day, you’ll drop everything to watch Josh Hamilton, who hit 28 homers in the first round. But for most fans that’s still years away. In the meantime, don’t bother trying to convince yourself (or anyone else) that an Albert Pujols plate-appearance is an event.

Maybe, I’m a hypocrite. Or maybe the real hypocrisy, once again, resides with the baseball establishment. The evidence that Bonds was a cheater is overwhelming. Even more overwhelming, however, is the evidence that he was one of many over many years. If the Mitchell Report is worth anything, it’s just that context.

And so what if Bonds is going to jail? He’s not going to jail this season. You don’t have to be a fantasy geek to know that the concerns of most fans and GMs are beyond mere ethics. Bonds is a curious exception. Here it is the All-Star break and a guy with a .480 on-base percentage last year, can’t even get a sniff.

“No one has offered him even the minimum salary,” Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, told USA Today.

The agent refers to “the conspiracy against him.” Personally, I think it has more to do with stupidity and fear than collusion. Nor is the problem racism, a charge that often swirls around Bonds. Most likely, Bonds is being punished for being Bonds, which is to say, a miserable guy. He’s also a distraction. But again, so what? The game has always been full of miserable guys and distractions.

In reality, fans’ affections are fungible. They’ve long since grown comfortable with the rent-a-player concept. What’s more, in this case, Barry Bonds makes baseball sense. Having hit 28 home runs and walked 132 times in a mere 340 at-bats last year, this is one distraction worth the risk.

Consider some of the contenders who could use his services. The Yankees, for example, are depleted in the outfield. Hideki Matsui is “progressing as planned,” whatever that means, and Johnny Damon, who has no arm even when healthy, is not yet ready to hit off a tee. Besides, if you told me you wouldn’t watch Bonds as a Yankee, you’d be lying.

Then there’s Tampa Bay. Among the reasons for the Rays’ recent stumble is a punchless trio at designated hitter. According to STATS LLC, Cliff Floyd, Eric Hinske and Willy Aybar are hitting a combined .237. You want a “nice” story, something you can root for? How about Bonds, playing for the prorated minimum salary, slugging the young, upstart Rays past the Yankees and Boston? OK, half a season in Tampa doesn’t constitute redemption, but it could provide a strangely sympathetic coda to Bonds’ career.

Barry in Dodger blue? Now that would be fun. (Photo Illustration / FOXSports.com)

Next, the Angels. For all their World Series aspirations, the Angels are the eighth worst run-producing team in the major leagues. Their designated hitters are averaging .252. “I can’t believe that you wouldn’t want him on your team,” Torii Hunter said recently. “I know he comes with baggage or whatever, but if I was an owner, I’d like to get Barry.”

Now, onto the National League, where the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks are a game under .500 and scoring 3.54 runs a game since June 1. Put Bonds on any team in that lousy division and it’s a contender.

Still, there’s one best place for Bonds: the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now that would be fun. First, he’d be reunited with Jeff Kent. Plus, it would give St. Joe Torre a chance to really earn his money, and tell everybody how Barry just wants to win and winning is the only thing that matters to him at this stage of his career.

How great would that be? If Torre could get people to believe that Roger Clemens bled pinstripe blue, he shouldn’t have much of a problem gentling the perception of Bonds. Besides, once more, it makes baseball sense.

Despite a $119 million payroll, the Dodgers rank 26th in runs scored. What’s more, they’re down to basically three outfielders — Matt Kemp, Andruw Jones and Andre Ethier. Oh, my bad. I forgot the 19 games played by the inestimable Delwyn Young.

Consider that with half a season to go, the Dodgers are three games under .500, but just two games out. What if they were to lose the division by a game or two? Whose fault would it be then? Probably general manager Ned Colletti’s. What would he say then? That Bonds wasn’t a character guy?

Unfortunately, character is an archaic concept. Nevertheless, I had to try another tack with my father, a perennially recovering Brooklyn Dodgers fan. “Bonds won’t hit any triples,” I conceded. “Just think of him as payback for Leo Durocher.”

Nah, jhall – I was just giving you the idea on that one. I’ll do N sync – lol!! I would feel like I am betraying Andre by doing a song about Matt. LOL!!! I’ll stick with songs about Andre, JP, Andruw, Joe and now Ned.

Amy – I have to admit, I liked them too. My mother loved them (understatement)! At the time, I liked Backstreet Boys better. I did enjoy the concert I went to with my daughter – very energetic and enjoyable.

JOE & ANDRUW JONES
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Joe and Andruw Jones, they got a thing goin’ on,
We all know that its wrong
And Druw should be gone, he’s the Curacao Cow® now
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They meet every day so Druw can play,
Seven O-five I know he’ll be there.
Boos from the stands, but Druw’s got him a plan
While Joe’s excuses go on and o-o-on
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Joe and Andruw, Andruw Jones, Andruw Jones, Andruw Jones
They got a thing goin’ on
We all know that its wrong
And Druw should be gone, he’s the Curacao Cow(R) now
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Joe’s gotta be extra careful
that he don’t build our hopes up to high
Cause he’s got lowered expectations, and all we can do is roll our ey-eyes
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Joe and Andruw, Andruw Jones, Andruw Jones, Andruw Jones
They got a thing goin’ on
We all know that its wrong
And Druw should be gone, he’s the Curacao Cow® now
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Now it’s time for both to be leaving
They suck so much, they suck so much, it’s time.
Wish Joe’d go one way, and Druw another
But tomorrow they’ll meet the same place, the same time.
Jo-oe a-and Andruw, Andruw Jones, Andruw Jones, Andruw Jones…

Sorry for the long article guys, but it’s crazy that anyone would emply Barry Bonds in a Dodgers uniform would be a good idea! They have a pic of him in Dodger Blue on the fox sports website…. made me want to puke!

Good Morning, master song writer!! Very nice addition to your already many, many hits so far. LOL!!!
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Brandon – I thought the commentary I found was scary – you’ve topped that one by a long way. I am doing great – how are you? – how’s Vegas? We may be coming out there to visit friends next week. We come out there every year about this time.

Amy – thank you for understanding – lol. I, however, will stand up loudly in protest for Matt and Andre sit when JP comes back, especially if Andruw is performing the way he is right now, and I really don’t see this changing, but maybe Mattingly can work miracles. Even if Mattingly can work miracles, it really should be a fair platoon for all four, none of this JP and Andruw playing everyday where Matt and Andre do the majority of the sitting. Matt and Andre are by far the two best outfielders on this team and that really shouldn’t change when JP comes back, but we know how Joe thinks, and they will sit. Maybe he will be enlightened by then and understand that these two can’t be the ones to sit everyday – yeah right! Anyhow, many of the articles I have read where Andre has been quoted. He says that

I’m great Nelly, just plugging along, trying to get through the heat, I’m gonna miss the all-star game tonight… I’ll be at a wedding… bummer for sure. Oh well, I really don’t know that Russel will get all that many AB’s… any guesses… I do after all live and work in Vegas… anyone have any bets on how many at bats russ gets tonight? I’ll tell you guys one thing… David Eckstein is NOT the answer!! 269 1 22 .354 .354 … those numbers put the fear in NOONE!

see – computer issues
He says that he understands what Torre wants. Let’s hope Andre still thinks that when JP and Andruw are both playing in front of him when he knows he is the better athlete. Only time will tell, I guess.

Brandon – Last year I was so upset that the Dodger players got booed, that I didn’t watch. I was so mad at the gnat fans, and I let my husband and son have it too. Even Russell mentioned it again in the article. My heart broke when they booed him last year. I know alot of tonight’s game will focus on Yankee history, and I’m not sure if that’s going to be a good or bad thing. It’s just been a little Yankee overload lately with Joe managing our team. A wedding on a Tuesday – that’s differerent, but then you do live in Vegas – lol!

Dnelly- I am going to keep the faith that when (my friend) JP comes back that things will be fair. We don’t know for sure that Pierre will be in every single game or will be lead off. Over the next month there are going to be a lot of changes, even in management. I whole heartedly agree that Matt and Dre are the best. I wish Matt could be center and Dre right, instead of all this switching to accommodate Jones. So until then lets not cross that bridge until we get to it. Pierre is good to play when Jones needs “rest”. Pierre is good as an alternate. Things just might work out for us.
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Also, people have written that JP complains about sitting out. I’ve never read or heard this. The only things about JP have been positive from the press and management. I think that’s why I like him. He gets to the stadium before the others, puts in extra works outs, is a team guy. And from what I read, he understands sitting out and takes it like a man. Ultimately, we are just fans, we will never know for sure. I give him a change and think he’s a great guy.
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I just like Matt better :)
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enchanted – You’ve been working hard this morning/afternoon – WOW!!!
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jhall – as much as I am not a JP fan, I have to agree. Like I said yesteday, I rather see JP put the ball in play then see Andruw strike out 3-5 times. Yes, Matt has that capability too, but I know Matt will eventually put one over the wall, or at least get an extra base hit. Out of the four of them right now, Andre is the better all-around hitter. He doesn’t strike out much, puts the ball in play, works the count very well and ethier (either) makes contact or walks, lets Matt and JP steal their bases, can get an extra base hit, and he can also hit it out of the park, and that’s just his offensive side.

Yeah Nelly, that’s what I said!! A wedding on a Tuesday!?!?!? Oh well… Yeah, it has been a lot of Yankee crap… it usually is… I still think we need a big time RAH RAH type of guy on our roster, and I don’t mean Bowa… What do you think Nelly? I’d love to see someone show some damn fire.

Right now, yeah, JP over Jones is better than JP over Matt or Andre. But, there’s something about JP just not being a good fit offensively in the lineup even over Jones, so I say play DY who is better right now than either JP or Jones.

I’m sorry Amy, but the media and management are not good measurements of anyone on this team. Aren’t they constantly bashing on your beloved Matty? I don’t care how early someone gets to the park, since grounds crew and other clubhouse people are early as well and yet we don’t advocate them playing LF.

Scott how can I argue that when you call me future Mrs. Kemp??
lol. I like the ring of that :)
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No matter what yall say, I am a Pierre supporter in the correct way. Yes, he’s better than Jones- so the man does deserve some playing time. I’m just going to stay positive that the right things will work out. no sense getting all upset of things that haven’t happened yet!!!!
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scott – I immediately thought of your list – LMAO!!!! As far as DY, I really, really feel sorry for him. I think we all thought JP over Andruw because DY isn’t even a consideration in Torre’s mind, unfortunately.
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brandon – That has been mentioned most about Torre from the players, that he is very calm – well, is that really what they need. I agree, Brandon, they need somebody to kick the them, vets especially, in the butt. I also think, if we had a manager who brought excitement and energy, Andruw’s *** would have been sat a long time ago. I don’t picture Cox, Panella or even Scoscia putting up with that crap, especially when you have a .300 batter sitting on the bench, which is what happened to Ethier.

I just can’t understand that Ned SAW Andruw BEFORE he signed him and still went through with it. If last season wasn’t red flag enough (which it seemed to be for 29 other GMs), any athlete that overweight can’t be seen as a good thing, no matter what he or his snake oil selling agent have to say. Even JPs signing in more understandable than that.

Not leading off however. Phew should bat 8th or 9th. Martin should be tried at lead off and move Kemp to the 3 hole where he is eventually going to be.
Martin
Ethier
Kemp
Loney
Kent
Nomore
LaRoche/DeWitt
Phew/pitcher
pitcher/Phew

I guess he thought, as I did also, that the worst we would get from the Cow would be: .225/25 dingers/ 85-90 ribbies.
No one, myself included, figured or could have forseen Jones being this bad and completely washed up at 31.

Scott you are my friend! lol.
See, I have to get in asap with Matt before a trade is even in the works. My window for baseball excellence is limited. And scott, I will treat you to whatever you want (baseball wise of course) once I’m in with Matt!
lol :)
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yes. I will always stay positive with my ” Piernas”. He’s not even in rehab yet. No need to worry.

Me too. I thought Jones would hit his HR’s and hit around .240 or .250. But, crap! He flat out looks worse than Billy Ashley at this point. He’s almost as bad as Mark Sweeney, but at least Sweeney is almost 40! 31?! What a ****!

Length is definately the biggest mistake. I don’t know if he was alone in the decision, but Ned & Co. seriously underestimated the readiness of Ether and Kemp to take over regular duties. That said, they obviously discovered JPs shortcomings in CF last year. However, instead of moving the OF to the JP-Kemp-Ethier alignment, they compounded the problem by bringing in Jones. Then compounded it again by bringing in a doddering old veteran loving manager. Its like they kinda see their mistakes, but instead of fixing the problem, they exacerbate it.

scott, Yes, of course, he is very handsome, but he is married, and he is going to be a father by the end of the year. Even on his blog, I make it clear that I am married and that I am truly a fan of his as a ball player. I’m sure he knows I think he’s handsome based on the songs that have been done for and about him, but the songs usually include that fact that he should be playing everyday, too (jhall’s song as an exampl – thanks again jhall!) I generally got interested in Andre when he came to the Dodgers as a rookie. I began looking into his background and discovered how he got to where he is now. I have said this before, but he, to me, is the underdog on this team, and I am hoping he comes out on top, just like most of us want the underdogs to do. When I saw what he did to earn his spot on in left field for opening day, I knew then, he wasn’t going to stop proving himself to Torre, his teammates and himself, especially. So, yes, I think he is very handsome, and yes, I would love to meet him some day, but it’s really because I think he can be an outstanding ball player if given the chance.

and to back up dnelly.
all us girls respect the guys as ballplayers first and foremost. We’ve been Dodger fans long before they came along and will be well after they are gone. We just are able as females to pick up on the good looks as well :)
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I’m not married and neither is Matt *sidenote*

scott, however, I am an Ethier super fan because I have three Ethier t-shirts, a “got Ethier?” t-shirt, an authentic Ethier jersey and I even have a build-a-bear named Ethier ( a white/blue bear with jeans and a white tank top that has Ethier spelled across the back with the #16 all over it). I have a dozen various baseball cards of his (two being rookie cards), and I have a file of at least 100 phots of him. So, to say I am a casual fan of his, is probably an understatement – I am a super fan!!!!

Honestly too, if you’re Frank, why haven’t you at least fired Ned by now? 90% of everything he’s touched has turned more than sour – putrid. You’re a little more than half way through the season, miraculously only 1 game out. Why would you still want or allow a man to be pulling more strings that has fouled up virtually everything he’s tried to do? Makes no sense and leads me to believe that Frank has no more than a passive or apathetic interest in what goes on on the field.

Exactly E!!! The biggest mistake Ned made was underestimating what he already had. He could have just moved Phew to left and played Kemp in center with Ethier in right. For that matter, he really should have resigned Lofton for one year when Princess Drew split and let Kemp, Ethier and Gonzo rotate thru. I detested the Phew signing from the beginning, especially when he went and got Gonzo.

Ethier is one of my favorite players as well, although exclusively as a baseball player. I have to add that his good looks get my wife to pay more attention than usual as she is not a big sports fan. “Hey, honey, check out this guy…”

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